Homelessness the focus of youth theater production at Howmet Playhouse in Whitehall

WHITEHALL, MI -- More than one hundred people gathered at the Howmet Playhouse in Whitehall on Sunday to see a theater production about struggle, unconditional love and survival.

“Just Before Sleep” has been produced around the country at regional theaters, youth theaters and universities. However, this time the play, performed by the White Lake Youth
Theatre group, aimed to do a little bit more than just put together a show for the community.

The Howmet Playhouse partnered with area agencies like the Muskegon Rescue Mission and Webster House Youth Services to provide educational opportunities for students, parents and audience members about homelessness in Muskegon County.

“For us, the issue is helping to raise awareness and to bring people in for volunteering, mentoring and stepping in,” said Phyllis Williams, director of women and children ministries at the Muskegon Rescue Mission. “I think in the first and second performances, the kids nailed it."

The cast and crew of "Just Before Sleep" answers questions with some area agency representatives after the play on Sunday, March 3, at the Howmet Playhouse.Delal Pektas | MLive.com

The play, written by James Still, is about a mother and her two children who struggle to survive on the streets while seeking a place to stay through social agencies.

Fourteen-year-old Justin tries to be a normal teenager while his 10-year-old sister Tara desires a warm bed. Their mom Sonia, a widow, works tirelessly by selling simple things to make ends meet while seeking a place for her and her children to stay.

“We are not only teaching these kids about art,” said Brianna June Clark, director of the play. “We are teaching kids about everyday life.”

Clark said she wanted to do something that would open their eyes to something that they didn’t know anything about before.

“Biggest message I want the kids to take away from this show and the audience is that homelessness doesn’t define people,” Clark said. “They are everyday people. Everyone has their own fire to put out.”

And her message seemed to be well received by those who played the characters so vividly and by the audience. The play, produced in a total of only five weeks, was made up of 13 high school students, including the crew.

“This show has shown me that people don’t always have the things you have,” said Alexxis Lohman, a seventh-grader at Montague's NBC Middle School who played the character Tara. “You never actually get into the details and feel how hard something like this is.”

“I guess when you’re out in the streets, you pass by those people who need money and you think they will spend it on buying cigarettes,” said Libby Gillhespy, who played Sonia. “It has helped me realize that these people need food. They need to survive. It’s cold out there.”

“This show is a real eye-opener,” said Joe Andersen, a junior at Reeths-Puffer High School and one of the actors. “I think a lot of us in this community are really blind to this issue. It boggles my mind that as I walk to school some kids don’t have a place to stay after.”

One of the cast members admitted that she struggled a little bit as she played her character.

“Even just reading through the play, playing the part I did was very very hard,” said Adrianne Lewis, also a junior at Reeths-Puffer High School. “Even though everyone here is an actor, it felt like you were really hurting someone.”

The play brought together more than 200 people during its weekend performances at the Howmet Playhouse.

“It is a true portrayal and a great advocacy piece to bring to light,” said Jennifer Saltzman, children’s ministry coordinator at the Muskegon Rescue Mission. “Kids did a great job of doing that and it makes me proud of being a part of this community.”

“The play was awesome,” said Kate Chronister, homeless and runaway youth therapist at Webster House Youth Services. “To come here and see this, it’s really powerful and we need to bring awareness by educating the community of the situation.”